Apparatus for obtaining fiber from fibrous plants and for treating the same.



H. J. BOEKENT APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING FIBER FROM FIBROUS PLANTS AND FOR TREATING THE' SAME.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I4, 1915- Patented Oct. 30,1917.

4 SHEETSSHEET l.

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APPLICATION FILED MAY I4. 1915- 1 ,2%%,6 1 Patented Oct. 30, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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H. J. BOEKEN.

APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING FIBER FROM FIBROUS PLANTS AND FOR TREATING THE SAME.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 14. 1915.

1,244,461 9 Patented Oct. 30,1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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H. J. BOEKEN.

APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING FIBER FROM FIBROUS PLANTS AND FOR TREATING THE SAME.

APPLICATION HLED MAY 14. X915.

1,244,461. Patented Got. 30,191?

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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45 while being conveyed between the drums beerases rnn r rare.

HUBERT JOSEPH BOEKEN, OF WELLINGTON,'NE'W ZEALAND.

errnnar'os ron cnrarnme FIBER, rnor/r rrnnous rnan'rs Ann non TREATING THE SAME.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented oat. 30.19171;

Application filed May 14, 1915. Serial No. 28,225.

and uset'ullmprovements in Apparatus for Obtaining Fiber from Fibr s Plantsantl for Treating the, Same,.ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention" relates to machines used for obtaining fiber from fibrous plants, such as Pkormz'um tenarc' (New Zealand flax), sisal, or pine apple leaves, and for preparing the fiber ready for themarket', and provides a single apparatus wherein all the operations necessary for the above purpose are carried out/.1 v

Apparatus constructed according to'my invention has twodrums and their concaves located at a distance apart longitudinally and upon oppositesides of a conveyerrope or belt. Rim members upon'the'ends of the drums are adjustable m dially' without breaking the c onti'nuitvot'the rims, the rim on the side at which the fibrous leaves or fiber enters between'the drum andthe concave being overlapped by a rim or flange fixed to the frame of the machine and adjustable radially to correspond tothe rim of the drum, and the rim on the side from which the fibrous leaves or fiberpasses from the drum and concave overlapping the rim or flange fixed to the frame of the machine and being adjustable radially. V 4

This latter rim is slotted and the teeth of a heclrle project throughthe slot to comb the fiber after leaving thedrum. 'The' heckle is adjustable to comb long or short fiber and the rim has slides 'to adjust the slot to the altered positionof the heclrlefl i The conveyer consists of a single endless rope or belt, whereon material to betreated is grippedwhile being treated, the material ing in the same direction as the previous l horizontal part of the conveyein' The grip upon the fiber is eti'ected by passing the conveyer rope into grooves iorined 1n gripper pulleys, the rims of the concave being higher than the rims at the bottom of the gripper pulleys/Tlhe rims offlthe concaves are located between the gripper pulleys and, the drums. V The fiber isthereby made to bend around the rim of the gripper pulley'and around the rimof the concaves before it reaches the drums, and the grip is thereby considerably increased.- The rims of the concaves are made adj ustable, so that they may be raised or lowered to increase or decrease the, grip, and the H rim'oi' 'eachconcave extends beyondjea'ch end of its drumfor the purpose of securing an eificient grip upon the fiber before it reaches the drums, and of entirely withdrawing the fiberfrom the drums. The drawings'herewith illustrate the invention. v I Figurel is'a diagrammatic side elevation, Fig. '2, a plan, and F'gy3, a sectional elevation on line A eA Q F g- Fig. a, is a perspective view, and i a Fig. 5, a sectional plan of a drum fitted with my invention,"

.Fig- 6, is a cross sectional elevation on line BB Fig. 7, and 7 Fig. 7, asectionalelevation of one end of a drum, '7 Fig. 8, a perspective view ofa blade and its rim members,

Fig. 9, a perspective view of the end of a blade and its rim members, Fig. 10, is a side elevation of the apparatus, and

Fig. 11, a sectionalelevation on line 'C-C Fig. 10. p

The single endless rope or belt conveyor 1 for conveying the material to be treated, passes beneath the gripperpulley 6, and around'the guide pulley 2 mounted upon a shaft 3 to a guide pulley i at a lower level, and around a guide pulley5 mounted upon the shaft 8, or on a separate shaft in line with shaft 3. Fromthe pulley 5 the rope passes beneath another gripper pulley .7 andaround guide pulleys and .9, either of which is'a tensionpulley. a

,A lrum 8 of ordinary construction and locatedon one side of the belt lloperaltes in conjunction with a concave 9 and treats one part of the material 10 while gripped and hanging upon the said belt. 7 From the pule ley 6 the fiber passes to a director 12 consisting of an armor apron attached to the concave of the drum or other suitable part and shaped so as to guide over the pulley 5 the strands of fiber which have been treated by the drum 8 The strands of fiber which have not been treated by the drum 8? including that part which was previously gripped between the pulley 6 and the conveyer l hang down ifronithe conveyer after such treated strands ot fiber have been conveyed beyond the pulley 2. The untreated strands are then treated by the drum 11 and its concave 12 while the fibers are gripped between the pulley 7 nd e squ rr l" VEach of the concaves 9 and 12 is PIQ? Vided with an upper rim consisting of a plate 1d and a flange 15 whereby it is bolted tdstandards 1 6. The upper edge of the plate 14: is shaped to correspond to the air: cu nferenceof the gripper pulley 7, 1 and the plate l4 extends beyond the ends (it the drum 8? or ll and is located between the gripper pulley? and the said drum. The lower party of the rim oi the pulley is lower than the edge of the plate 14g, so that the fiber 20 passes across the rim'of the said pulley and over the edge of; the plate ll, as shown in Fig. 1 1. The effect of kinking the fiber over the rim and plate is that the hold upon the fiber is greatly in creased.

By extending the plate let beyond each end of thefdruni, the fiber is brought on to thesaid Plate and into position for treat: ment by the drum before the fiber is dragged between'the drum and its concave by the 7 current of set up by the drum, and until the fiber is removed from the sucking action of the drum. 7

The plate 14 is adjustable in height by inserting washers between the flange l5 and the standards '16. The vertical height of the plate 14 relatively to the rim of the pulle V 7 can thus be regulated as required:

I The disks 22 forming the ends of each drum 8 and 11 are made with lugs 2-3 haring slots 24 for the reception of the ends of ordinary beater blades'25 and for wings 2160f rim members 27,.

I Bolts 28 pass through slotted holes 29 formed the lugs and through holes in the blades and the said wings :26, the bolts fitting accurately in the holes of the blades and the wings 26.

' The rim members 27 are made of plates bent to a right angle in cross section the wings 26 being formed integral and at right angle, to the backs of the rim members, or

thewings be attached to the said backs. 1? ie ri m mber f? e plvet r s r u the rims of the disks 22 and are attached to the blades 25. by screws 33, and the ends of each rim member overlap the ends of adjaeent rim members, the ererlappingbeing in the same direction in eachrcase, and so I that the forward end of each member is surmounted or covered by the rear end of its preceding member.

The ends of the rim members are fastened by bolts 34- passing through slotted holes 35 formed in the backs of the rim membe sa The distance which the blades are set ilem the su f a t ecQnc e d term nes the degree of intensity to, which fiber is subjected to treatment hen. i is r ell- 1 t de r e of intensity to which the fiber is being treated, the bolts 28 and 3d are slackened and the blades and rim members 2'? are set radially as desired, the slotted holes 29, permitting the rim members tq expand or contract as required for assuming an alternation of cir-. win er m T e ri fni mb rs on h e d at the d um from which the fiber passes Out, ovei'lapor surmount correspondingly curved plate or flange 37 fixed to the names ofthe nia-v chine. A similar plate 39 fixed to the frame at the other end o the drum where the fiber passes in iscurved to correspond to the curve of the rim members which the said plate overlaps, on the end of the drum,

' By overlapping the plates andrim mem: bers in this manner, "projecting edges of plates, which would impede the'passage of the fiber are avoided, and the fiber is pre: nte fr m s t n win ng ar und, the drum shaft. fhis construction'is clearly shown in Figs d and 5. c

The plates 37 and 39, are. adjusteble radially as required by means of washers 4:0 in; terposed betweenfthe said plates, and the frame 3 8. i

The plate 37 is also employed as part of a heckling apparatus endfor that purpose is proyided'with a slot ll, the opening 01": which can be adjusted by means of slides 49 made or plate and secured in any required position to the plate 37 by bolts d3.

A. stud 44: adjustably fixed in a curved slot 45 formed in the'frame 3 8 carries a pulley 4 6. The center of the curve of the slot 45 coincides with the center of the shaft 7 42 adjusted to correspond. If the fiber is short the pulley is raised.

What I do claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In apparatus of the kind described, a conveyer consisting of a single endless rope or belt having an approximately horizontal part, a vertically downwardpart, a vertically upward part and a second horizontal part, the horizontal parts overlapping between the vertical parts and the overlapping parts being spaced apart.

2. In apparatus of the kind described, a conveyer consisting of a single endless rope or belt, a gripper pulley beneath which the rope passes, a guide pulley around which the rope passes, a second guide pulley to which the rope passes at a lower level, a third guide pulley around which the rope passes to a pulley level with the first guide pulley, a second gripper pulley beneath which the rope passes, and guide pulleys beyond each of the gripper pulleys.

3. Apparatus of the kind described, comprising a single endless conveyer rope or belt passing around grooved pulleys, gripper pulleys having grooves into which the conveyer rope passes, fiber treating drums and concaves on opposite sides of the conveyer rope, guide pulleys intermediate of the drums and whereby the conveyer rope is led from a practically horizontal direction to a downward direction and then in an upward direction and finally in a horizontal direction so that a portion of the two horizontal parts of the conveyer rope overlap and are spaced apart at the same level or at approximately the same level, and an arm for guiding the fiber over the overlapping part of the conveyer rope. p

4. In apparatus of the kind described, a conveyer consisting of a single endless rope or belt, a gripper pulley beneath which the rope passes, a guide pulley around which the rope passes, a second guide pulley to which the rope passes at a lower level, a third guide pulley around which the rope passes to a pulley level with the first guide pulley, a second gripper pulley beneath which the rope passes, and guide pulleys beyond each of the gripper pulleys, either of which guide pulleys is a tension pulley.

5. In apparatus of the kind described, a drum and a gripper pulley, a concave member having its'upper edge interposed between the gripper pulley and the drum, the said edge overlapping the rim of the bottom of the gripper pulley.

6. In apparatus of the kind described, a drum and concave member, the upper edge of the concave member being adjustable vertically and a gripper pulley, mounted in a plane at rightangles to the plane of said drum, and having its lower edge overlapping the upper edge of said concave mem- 7. In apparatus of the kind described, a drum and a concave member, and a plate,

forming the upper edge of the concave mem-,

rim composed of overlapping members movable with the blades, the said members 1 having slotted holes, and bolts passing through the slotted holes.

11. In apparatus of the kind described, a drum having ends composed of disks, lugs on the disks having radial slots adapted to receive the ends of the blades of the drum, rim members attached to the blades and having wings entering the said slots on each 7 side of the blades, and bolts fitting holes in the blades and wings and passing through slotted holes in the lugs.

12. In apparatus of the kind described, a drum having at one end a circumferential rim, a circumferential adjustable plate overlapped by the said rim, and another circumferential, adjustable plate concentric to the drum and overlapping the other end thereof.

13. In apparatus of the kind described, a drum and concave member, a plate concen tric to the concave member, a rim on the drum overlapping the plate, and a heckle hirving pins projecting through a slot in the p ate.

ll. In apparatus of the kind described, a drum, a shaft therefor and a concave member, a plate concentric to the concave memher, a slot in said plate, slides adapted to adjust the opening of said slot, a pulley projecting into the slot, a heckle band passing around the pulley and said shaft, and pins on saidheckle band projecting through the slot, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

HUBERT JOSEPH BOEKEN.

Witnesses:

Ennns'r SMITH BALDWIN, JOHN JOSEPH WATSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. 0.? 

